Ron Cummings gets a tattoo honoring daughter, Haleigh

Ron Cummings, father of missing 5 year old, Haleigh Cummings got a new tattoo honoring his daughter and her brother, Junior, at a Pinellas County tattoo shop Tuesday. The tattoo cost $400.00 and according to Ron was paid by someone else. The tattoo reads “daddy’s little girl, always”.

“All I want to do is plead for the life of my daughter. Please if you have her, please bring her home,” said Ron.

Okay, this is just weird. First of all, the tattoo looks really spooky and second of all, why would you get a $400.00 tattoo when you are accepting donations from the public? Just a strange thing to do IMO.

I myself am having great difficulty with these tattoo’s . . . To me Casey Anthony has made it hard for everyone who now has a child missing. It seems more focus goes into the family & dirty laundry. Everything is put under the maginfing glass. So when some people doubted Haleigh was missing & were starting to pick at the family I stayed firm on things . . . give them a chance, stay focused on what Haleigh . . . but then Ronald goes & gets a tattoo.

I am still trying to believe the family had nothing to do with Haleigh disappearing. So why the tattoo? The only thing I can think of is 1) Ronald doesn’t know what to do right now. Kinda restless with having to sit back & wait, wait, wait. He is used to doing what he wants without anyone really questioning him. But what he does not realize is that he is in the publics eye & everyone will be watching him. He even made a comment about cameras always in his face. I am not sure what he expected? 2) Maybe he did this to keep the focus on finding Haleigh. It has been noted about Casey getting a tattoo & many questioned that. Perhaps he did this for that reason. I don’t know.

The $400 . . . if someone, a friend let’s say, gave him the money to do this I wish Ronald would have said a friend gave me the money to get this tattoo. It is not donated money. I wanted to show how much my children mean to me, I want focus to always be on Haleigh. To hear people whisper what he supposedly said while in the tattoo palor, is disheartening.

Okay, I am with you all on the creep factor. I am NOT a tattoo lover so I don’t understand the mindset of someone who would do this. I do know that in my mind, it seems like something you would do in the memory of a person, as if they are dead. Otherwise, why didn’t he get one of her when years ago?? We know he loves his daughter, he doesn’t need to wear it on his skin. Just like the Anthonys with their Caylee purses, buttons, shirts, hats, etc. Was she a missing child or a celebrity? I could be way off on my opinions here and for that I apologize ahead of time but it just seems like with some families when their child goes missing it turns into a circus. I would be too depressed to do anything until I knew where my child was, eventually I could try to get on with my life but it would be years not weeks. Maybe this is just something he did to comfort himself and to feel closer to his daughter, but like others said, he could have done something different with that $400 dollars.

I have no problem at all with tattoos (I have 9 myself), but I can honestly say that if I had a child missing, getting tattooed would be the absolute LAST thing that would occur to me. Hell, even if my DOG was missing, I wouldn’t spend time and money getting inked… Especially if I were financially strapped to begin with, and people were donating money to help find my missing kid…its just wierd…

Niecey I don’t know how he could think it would help either. He surely knew it would stir up the media. Maybe that’s why he did it. To keep the focus on Haleigh as Bogart said.

It sounds like we all are in agreement that we want very much for the Cummings family to be an example of how a person would act under these circumstances–especially after the Anthony circus. I think for the most part they’ve acted with dignity, and maybe Bogart is right and he doesn’t really know how to act or what to do.

I know tattoos are really popular right now-all 3 of my sons have some, but like Pak and Ostella, getting a tattoo is the last thing I’d be thinking about at this point in time. Maybe he really is trying to comfort himself Pak. Ostella, I have to agree it’s in terrible taste to spend that kind of money when people are donating to his family.

I am not sure why ther is so much shock abt this tattoo. Is there really a certain routine or script to follow when you have a child missing. NO. And nobody knows how this man feels daily knowing she may or may not come home. He begged the texas search team to stay longer, police have stopped searching around his area and are just going on leads now. He sits and waits for volunteers to come and offer to search with him. And has gone out alone at times. The feeling of helplessness Im sure he is dealing with. putting her on his body may be his way of having her close to him right now. Maybe he was losing hope and needed to do something to regain some faith and get back some hope in his heart. As far as the money what exactly is 400.00 dollars that a friend or someone “donated” gonna make someone tell or not tell if they have leads. The awatd is prtty substantial righ tnow.

They have a award fund and I doubt the difference in 400 dollars will really be the difference in someone coming forward is they know anything. Yes I agree it is not the best job and from what I can tell doesn’t really even look like her. But he and we knpw who it is and maybe that was something that has got him through another day or wk. I just can’t imagine what he must be feeling. Maybe his friend even felt he needed to get away from the area of the home and re-energize and this is what they chose. back off him I feel sorry for him and Its his body and his daughter thats missing. You never know what you will do in a situation like this. So stay strong Ronnie and look down at your baby girl and keep your faith that she will be found and brought home safely.

For the most part I agree with you. Except it’s not about it being $400.00-$4.00-or $4000.00. People are sending money, not only for the reward, but to help this family’s daily expenses as they search for Haleigh. The majority of people sending them money are not wealthy folks with bucks to blow, but people like you and me that have been hit hard by our failing economy. We don’t part with our dollars lightly and when we do we believe in what we’re donating to.

Example: John Smith, a complete stranger to the Cummings, calls a family meeting and he, his wife, and 2 young daughters (1 the age of Haleigh) take a vote and decide to sacrifice that month in order to help out. He sends $100.00 out of his family’s $500.00 monthly grocery allowance, leaving only $400.00 to eek out enough to feed their family. They’re eating mac n’ cheese for dinner instead of chicken fried steak, but the whole family is feeling good about giving the Cumming’s family that money—-until he picks up the newspaper and sees that Ron Cummings spent the equivalent of his entire month’s allotment for food for a tattoo! Doesn’t matter if someone else paid for it. I imagine the whole family would regret sending them money and will think twice before ever donating to anyone in need again. See what I mean?

Without a doubt, I see what you mean. You are defintely the voice of reason and I thank you.

And I’m sorry but the new tat (whomever funded the $$ for it), the purchasing of the engagement ring, etc..
Ugh😦

As an aside- I’m still shaking my head over the footage aired as Misty & Ron exited the courthouse after the ML paperwork was filed.
The media was saying “congratulations, Ron”, etc.. and all he could do was mutter “thanks” & fast-walk to his truck and leave Misty to deal w/ the Q’s & cameras.

I thought that footage was weird, too. Only, I guess I looked at it a little differently than you did. I saw a happy Misty wanting to talk to the media and to defend her moment of happiness, and a grim Ron not wanting the spotlight on that event.

I thought Misty’s behavior was a little defiant and odd when she was saying almost smugly that she had passed her lie detector test, but that could’ve been her youth showing.

Ron later gave a heartfelt plea with Crystal at a press conference announcing the reward for Haleigh had been increased. Both he and Crystal appeared to be barely able to walk let alone talk. I think the reality that Haleigh might really not come home again had hit them because this was also the day they were being made to pack up their tents and leave the area they were camped in to be near where Haleigh disappeared.

Poor, poor little Haleigh ! These unfortunate ‘Les Miserables’ children lived barely above squalor. Ronald Cummings is mentally impaired and so is Misty. I think Ron is responsible in that he either killed Haleigh in a fit of rage, ( and we have seen his temper ), or is so ignorant as to leave his child in the care of Misty who has the I.Q. of a tree flea. One way or the other, Misty is lying for Ron out of fear. Since he has been physically and verbally abusive to his past teenage girlfriends; this does not surprise me. The bed-wetting by Haleigh at the age of 5 is typical of an abused child…..the marks on both Haleigh and Junior are clearly inflicted by a belt or stick !

I think it’s more likely that Ron was dumb enough to leave his kids with Misty. I believe SHE is hiding something. I still think Ron is innocent. The facial injury on Haleigh has been documented to have happened at school. The bruises I saw on Junior could have come from a belt or stick–or it could have happened in a normal play environment. Kids are rough. I have an issue with Crystal coming out with all this stuff now. Why now? Why not years ago? Makes no sense to me.

Listen to the audio of this “Cobra” guy talking. I don’t know what’s true or untrue in his statements, but if Misty had sneaked out to be with some guy and wasn’t there when Haleigh was taken, her behavior would make more sense to me.

ITSAMYSTERYTOME: I like ‘Cobra’. He is the ‘ Leonard Padilla ‘ in this case! I think he will get to the bottom of this. Sooner or later Misty will slip and the truth will come out. Either way, I think Junior is at risk especially with Ron’s temper. That little boy should be in temporary foster care, until released to his bio-Mom; who should be under supervision by Child Services, at least for the time being.

Maybe joint custody or put in the care of a grandparent until it can be determined if Ron abused the children–and what exactly Crystal’s problem is. I think it would be really hard on the little boy to yank him away from his family and put in the care of strangers–especially after his sister has disappeared.

A family member would be the norm, but under the circumstances, I feel Ron would try to snatch Junior if he were in the custody of Meemaw, or Mrs. Nevis. Besides , the “dicipline” as Ron refers to the correction of his children would continue, perhaps worse now. The marks on little Junior were clearly made by a stick or belt of somekind. He looks like a loose cannon to me.

My real concern is this. Ron and Misty claim they are having a bigger wedding when Haleigh “comes home” yet Ron has her “memoralized” on his leg as if she is already dead. What would his reason be if she’s “coming home?” Nancy G seems to be on their side and I think she is dead wrong this time. His actions are not those of an innocent father whose child mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night with no clues…If this really and truly happened, he would have never,ever thought that getting married was a good idea at this time. He would be sick with worry, fear, and sadness. He’s sick like Susan Smith, that’s the problem.
By the way, this tattoo isn’t worth 4 bucks, let alone 400.00. It’s terrible art work.

JSSHANE: I think You are DEAD ON on this one! I have suspected the dad from the beginning…. And, yes the ‘Tat’ is horrible looking ! It appears Nancy Grace is on Ronald’s side. I also think she is off on this one….

I’m starting to re-think my position on thinking Ron is totally innocent in all this. I still can’t bring myself to think he did something to his daughter. There’s just no evidence that he did. I think he may know more than he let on, though.

It looks like it is panning out that Misty had left the house with another guy she was sleeping with. If that’s the case, anyone could have come in and taken the little girl if no one was there–most likely someone that knew them.

ITSAMYSTERY: Yes, good thought, although, I don’t think this guy Greg who Misty has allegedly been seeing on the side would want to be burdened with a little girl on his hands. Not to mention a kidnapping/murder/rape charge against him. He is a black male and this is a rural “white” area; it’s easy to blame the “black” guy…
Most child murder/abductions are carried out by someone in the family. Haleigh would have screamed out if Greg had abducted her. Again, we have the TATOO issue. Why the tatoo, unless Ron is ‘mourning’ his DEAD daughter…..?
Very good points, lily, and you are right–most child abduction/murders are family affairs. I don’t necessarily think Greg took Haleigh–I wonder if Misty was off somewhere with Greg and someone came in and took her. I don’t think I buy Crystal’s latest story saying Jr. heard the “couch squeak”. That’s just more crap Crystal is trying to toss out there IMO.

Another thing that has me scratching my head is that Ron has decided he can’t live in the mobile home where his daughter went missing…Wait..she’s coming home, right? Why can’t he stand to be there? Is it possible that Haleigh was murdered there? Any normal parent who has NO idea where their child is would never leave their residence because this is what is familiar with the child. What if she “escaped” her kidnapper…where would she return? Home, of course! That is another HUGE red flag to me. Ron can’t live there because it reminds him of something that went terribly wrong.. I really hate to say this, but I get the feeling that Grandma Cummings may know something. She is also intimidated by him, in my opinion.

I agree that is very odd, JShane. There are soooo many red flags in this case–on both sides.

Thanks lily…I do admit I love detective work!…It just seems so logical that Cummings is involved; nothing else makes sense. I still believe their marriage holds the key. Someone suggested that she may be pregnant. So what. A wedding can wait when your child is missing, or possibly dead. He didn’t care to marry the mother of his kids, so I doubt if he cares about being morally concerned at this time. Fear and panic should have been in the air, not love. I think some people are making too light of this stunt. For those who haven’t heard the interview from Cobra, (the bounty hunter), it’s worth listening to. He says that Ron admits knowing that Misty has been having sex with another guy, (recently), but he still wanted to marry her. What’s the hurry, Ron? Interesting.JShane–I think Ron said something about “keeping his enemies close….”. He also said he was afraid she was going to run. I think Misty is the key to everything in this case–whether it’s that Ron did something or someone else did. Why is she not talking?

JSHANE: Thanks, I did in fact read the article on ” Cobra “; thanks to ‘MYSTERYTOME’ ….
I still take the posture that Ron killed Haleigh accidentally and Misty is covering for him out of fear of retribution from him. I don’t think he even cares about the affair with Greg. He is a primitive, low class guy with abusive tendencies. And as far the marriage goes, I believe it was to “cinch” the deal with Misty to keep her mouth shut.
Cobra is NO Leonard Padilla…lily–well, either way–whether Ron married Misty to keep her quiet, or whether Ron married Misty to keep her close at hand til he could get the truth out of her–the key to where Haleigh is lies with Misty. I would think the police have already offered to protect her from whatever she’s afraid of.

JSHANE: Yup… The Mom is covering for Ron to a DEGREE…. Poor woman doesn’t yet know her grandaughter is dead—. The Grandmother looks very rough too, possibly suffered domestic violence as well. My heart goes out to her though; she can’t seem to hold back the tears… Very, very sad.
She will defend her ‘boy’. Blood is thicker than water.

JShane–It is not known who passed a lie detector test–Misty, Ron, and Crystal have all said they passed, but no one with authority has said one way or the other. Misty said the guy that gave her the test told her she passed, but it’s highly doubtful that the tester would have said that to her.

I can see where it “appears” they have passed the test. I haven’t heard anything new whatsoever. Have any of you? I found a new site called EYES…She has the ability to detect a liar, and firmly believes, as we do, that Cummings is lying.

While I once followed the Ramsey case closely too, I am currently following a case I saw on Dateline last year. Barry Beach of Poplar Montana was convicted in the 1979 murder of Kimberly Nees…He confessed under duress, but there is NO evidence that puts him at the crime scene. If you are interested in reading about it, you can see all the details at http://www.montanansforjustice.com

I’m a curious person by nature, so I’m always wrapped up in a mystery. I was on the Anthony case from the first day Nancy Grace aired it. I wish she had something new to add though! I think we all knew that Casey was guilty from the word GO. What a monster.

I’d like to see what EYES says about the Ramsey case..I’ve always thought the Mother had something to do with it, but it will be hard to prove now.

Some people keep pointing the finger at the Cousin from TN. Wasn’t he cleared? I think Misty wanted to divert the attention to someone else, so he became a suspect. Has anyone heard a statement from this guy? I would love to hear what he has to say about it all.

Maybe they thought they passed because they weren’t placed under arrest following the lie detector test. Also, I’ve been thinking along some different lines as to what happened. If Misty had friends over or went out that night, maybe someone drugged HER enough to knock her out for several hours. Someone could have slipped something in her soda when she went to the bathroom…just a thought. There is also a SO that went missing the same night as Haleigh & it was stated that he was in his work clothes, which happened to be ALL BLACK. Maybe someone in the family knows him & he is connected.

That’s a really good theory and one I hadn’t thought of. But, why wouldn’t Misty say that? I guess if she were afraid that Ron would be mad if he knew she had friends over when he wasn’t there. Still, I would think she would break by now.

I remember that sex offender that went missing. I never heard anything else about him after the initial information came out. I had not heard that he was wearing all black. I wonder if he has ever been located or if there has been any follow-up?

As far as I know he is still missing. He was only released from prison Nov. 2008. What I really found interesting is that he molested a girl under 11 yrs.old after he broke into the family trailer with the family home. Misty may not even realize what happened. She could have been outside talking with someone, put her bottle of soda down & turned away for a few minutes & next thing she knows Ron is in the driveway…it is possible. The SO is in his 20’s…could be the friend of a friend, etc…kids are trusting…look at all the friends Casey met on my space.

I still think Ron did it; and this is why—– The ‘Greg’ guy, Misty’s friend might have been over to buy drugs from Misty and Ron. What does that have to do with lugging a 5 year old around? Being a druggie doesn’t make one a child molester or sex offender. Two different issues. Ron has been on drugs for some time. Many users become dealers. I would bet those two were selling drugs out of that trailer. I think Ron was under the influence, got mad at Haleigh or Misty or both and accidentally killed Haleigh. The rest is speculation….. The night Geraldo interviewed Ron, RON WAS HIGH… or did anyone else pick up on that??? The Greg guy is Misty’s friend, but did NOT abduct Haleigh! What person would want a potential death penalty sentence for child abduction/rape/murder???

lily…I’m with you. I also have to wonder if LE has an accurate account of when Ron clocked out. I need to hear more about his work schedule to satisfy my curiousity about his timeline…

Did anyone happen to see Ron and Misty together late that night?
This case has lots of strange twists. Maybe they made a habit of leaving the kids alone and not thinking anything of it? I’m still not convinced that someone “took” her, but geez, anything IS possible here.

I read that Greg was cleared by the police. My gut still tells me someone used Misty to get to Haleigh. Dealing is a very real possibility, but I’m still going back to the missing SO. He still may be conected, even through drugs. Maybe Ron or Misty ripped someone off…you can’t exactly report a theft of drugs to the police. Personally, I think they all still use drugs. Maybe that’s why Misty waited for Ron to come home before calling 911, they may have had drugs to get out of there. If they were using or selling, there should have been some sign of that. If they do searches on those deleted my space accounts & get some cell records that should tell alot of what everyone was doing & who they were talking to.

JSHANE: RON PROBABLY HIT HALEIGH before HE went to work. The child could have died in her sleep, Misty couldn’t wake her, panicked and called Ron. I am convinced the F.B.I. knows a lot they are not telling…

I agree, I think LE knows something.It seems the family is the problem now. LE was on TV saying the custody/abuse allegations are hindering the investigation. It sounds like they’re saying now that the only person who’s story doesn’t add up, is Misty, which has been obvious from day one. I’m still thinking she is clueless. I’m not 100% on that one, but I have to believe if she’s involved in any way that LE would know by now. They aren’t releasing much info on anything & I think them saying on TV they still have no suspects…I think they’re trying to lay low or they would still be in full force. I believe they know something, but not enough to move in. A reporter asked Misty what questions they asked on the lie detector test & she was vague & when asked again, she said she was told not to talk about it. Maybe them calling her in over & over is just to throw media off the track. Just throwing some ideas out there.

Lily..Yes, I’m sure Ron did something; knows something. He is not the innocent bystander that some think. I have an on-going debate with another blogger in a different forum who says otherwise. I think his actions say so much more. The video of him leaving the tattoo parlor-he’s annoyed that cameras are in his face everywhere he goes. Shouldn’t he be thankful the media wants to cover his story? Shouldn’t he be out searching, and cooperating in every way he can to find this girl? Instead, he is wasting time and telling the public to butt out. He also wants us to know this is between him and God. That’s a joke. It amazes me how people use God at their convenience.
I think we are all disgusted with this arrogant guy and his twit for a wife.

JSHANE: You are right! WHY can’t Ron live in the mobile home??? ANY parent of a missing child would want to be there at all times if not OUT LOOKING FOR THEIR CHILD …… In anticipation of Haleigh coming through that door to the mobile home….. BECAUSE he KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HOME AND DOESN’T WANT TO BE REMINDED….IT IS UNSETTLING FOR HIM….

Lily…I want Nancy Grace or any other reporter to ask him why he can’t live there. That is why he has decided to bring God into the picture, as if nobody has the right to ask! I haven’t heard much of anything lately, but I am convinced someone will start asking some serious questions soon. LE says that Misty has baffled them. To me, THAT is baffling! It’s pretty hard to believe, given her mentality, that a good cross examination wouldn’t do the trick! I’m sure they know she’s lying!

JSHANE: I am very disheartened that Nancy Grace is apparently on the side of Ron Cummings ! The question as to why he can’t stay in the trailer NEEDS to be asked. Geraldo is no longer allowed on the property; you KNOW he would ASK!!!
Putting God into the equation is proper as to prayer for the safe return of Haleigh. If Ron does believe in God; then HE NEEDS TO COME CLEAN AND ADMIT HIS ACTIONS, whether to his pastor or the media, law enforcement, etc. and TAKE THE CONSEQUENCES LIKE A MAN.! I don’t see him as a real man, he is a little immature weasel, drug addicted abuser with a vile temper and an even more vile MOUTH!

Lily…I think she’s jealous of her! I do. Have you seen her rolling her eyes when she talks? Crystal’s Atty displays much more class than Nancy does. You don’t see her going off like NG does. She needs to chill. I really used to like watching her, but I am fed up with her talking to guests without any respect.

JSHANE: I completely agree. I used to love N. Grace, but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ! I don’t enjoy the total lack of respect she shows ALL her “esteemed” guests.
Yes, she does roll her eyes at Crystal’s attorney when she speaks. The woman is a very well respected lawyer in her field. I think she is very pleasant and pretty and does a great job of warding off Nancy’s acid blows to her expertise and Crystal’s character.

Hi Lily and others. I haven’t been on in the last few days and haven’t heard if there are any new developments. I am thinking this is the calm before the storm. LE must surely question why Ron and Misty have moved out of the trailer. I think this is one very odd move on their part that needs to be thoroughly questioned. To me, this confirms their guilt. There is no reasonable explaination if they truly believe Haleigh will walk through that door.

WHAT THE HELL KIND OF TATOO IS THAT? HIS ACTIONS SPEAK VOLUMES ESP WHEN CASEY ANTHONY’S PARENTS OFFERED HELP AND HE REFUSED!
WHO DOES THAT? UNLESS IT COULD COST YOU.
I THINK THAT HALEIGH WAS TAKEN AS PAYMENT FOR RONALD CUMMINGS DRUG DEBT.. AND HE GLADLY PINNED EVERYTHING ON POOR HELPLESS MISTY..
MARRIES HER THEN LEAVES HER! WHAT THE REASONING BEHIND THIS.
MISTY IS HIDING A DEEP SECRET FOR RONALD.. HE WANTS TO HIDE BEHIND HER TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK GOOD.
HE IS SCUM THAT BREDS ON THE UNFORTNATE.